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Riders QB Joseph named CFL player of the year

Quarterback Kerry Joseph can finally give the Grey Cup his full attention.

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Kerry Joseph arrives at Pearson International Airport in Toronto for the Grey Cup game on Sunday. (VINCE TALOTTA / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

By Dan RalphTHE CANADIAN PRESS

Thu., Nov. 22, 2007

Quarterback Kerry Joseph can finally give the Grey Cup his full attention.

Joseph, who guided the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their first Grey Cup berth since 1997, was named the CFL's outstanding player to anchor a West Division sweep of the league's individual honours Thursday night.

"To be honest, I was thinking about it and now that this night is over I can focus on the Grey Cup," Joseph said. "That's the ultimate prize."

Joseph was especially pleased to receive the CFL's top individual honour with his mother, Geraldine, having made the trip from Louisiana on the U.S. Thanksgiving to be in attendance.

Winnipeg slotback Milt Stegall received the Tom Pate Memorial award for community service while teammate Charles Roberts captured the Fans Choice award. Keith Pelley, the outgoing president of the Toronto Argonauts, was presented with the Commissioner's award.

A total of 49 ballots were cast in voting conducted by members of the Football Reporters of Canada and the eight CFL head coaches.

The event was produced by Second City as a Tribute to John Candy, the former Argos owner.

Joseph was a surprising winner with 32 votes considering Glenn led the CFL in pass attempts (621), completions (388) and yards (5,114) and was second in TD tosses (25). But Joseph was third in passing with 4,002 yards but also was the league's top rushing quarterback with 737 yards and 13 touchdowns.

What's more, Joseph, a former safety with the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, led Saskatchewan to a 12-6 record – second only to the B.C. Lions (14-3-1) in the CFL – that not only earned the Riders second spot in the West Division but also their first home playoff game since 1988.

"It truly has been a journey," Joseph said. "When you work so hard to find success, it does pay off."

Joseph is the first Roughriders quarterback to win the CFL's outstanding player award since Ron Lancaster did so in 1976.

"It's really an honour to be mentioned in the same breath as a legend," Joseph said.

But Joseph and Glenn won't battle in the Grey Cup on Sunday. Glenn suffered a broken left arm in last week's East Division final and won't play.

Wake became the first rookie to win two CFL awards since Winnipeg's Albert Johnson III in 2000 (rookie and special teams). Wake captured 28 votes for the defensive player honour and 38 for the rookie award.

The six-foot-three, 241-pound Wake played linebacker at Penn State but was shifted to defensive end by the Lions. The move paid immediate dividends as Wake not only cracked B.C.'s starting lineup but developed into the league's top pass rusher, registering a league-high 16 sacks.

"Wow, someone want to pinch me?" Wake said. "My head is still spinning."

With Wake leading the way, the Lions registered a CFL-high 61 sacks. He also had 69 tackles and three forced fumbles and recorded the only blocked field goal in the CFL during the regular season.

Wake finished his season by registering a CFL playoff-record five sacks in the Lions' loss to Saskatchewan in the West Division semifinal.

"We talked as a team that it would be nice to have the whole defence come up on to the stage," Wake said. "It is a team effort.

"The guys put in the work for these trophies."

Clermont, also named the top Canadian in 2004 and outstanding rookie in '02, received 37 votes for this year's honour. The six-foot-two, 227-pound Regina native was third in the CFL in receiving this year with 86 catches for 1,158 yards and seven touchdowns.

"It's a great honour because this is an award a lot of guys can stand up and accept," Clermont said.

Murphy received 35 votes to be named the top lineman for the second straight year. The six-foot-five, 310-pound Buffalo, N.Y., native helped the Lions drastically cut their sacks total – 32 in '07 after allowing 56 last year – while paving the way for running back Joe Smith, who led the CFL in rushing with 1,510 yards.

But many league officials and opposing accused Murphy of being a dirty player, something the Lions star said bothered him.

"In the middle of the season I was downtrodden to say the least about what people were saying," Murphy said. "The thing I couldn't understand was I won the award last year and no one said a thing.

"It makes me feel good that people still, when it boils down to it, think I'm a good player."

Smart received 28 votes after finishing the season with the special-teams triple crown. The five-foot-eight, 192-pound dynamo led the CFL in punt returns (92, 912 yards, one TD), kickoff returns (53, 1,228 yards, 23.2-yard average) and all-purpose yards (2,440 yards).

"It's definitely an honour and a great feeling," said Smart. ``But it's hard being here without the rest of the team."

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